UCLA and Lauren Betts head back to the Final Four with something to prove

The Bruins are back in the Final Four, and Betts has not forgotten about last year's 34-point season-ending loss to UConn

SACRAMENTO -- No. 1 UCLA earned a ticket back to the Final Four on Sunday, overcoming a rocky start for a 70-58 victory over No. 3 Duke in the Elite Eight. Last year was the first time the program had ever made it to the Final Four. This time, the team wants to take the next step and cut down the nets.

Lauren Betts has used UCLA's 85-51 loss to UConn in the 2025 Final Four as motivation all season long. The Bruins star has watched that game about 10 times. 

"Why did I do that? Because I was mad," Betts said during Sunday's postgame press conference. "I just didn't understand how that could happen. I think for me it just riles me up, not getting mad at any individual. It was a team loss. I think for me is how can I get better going into next year? And how can I push this team so that we can get there again and have that opportunity?

"I don't remember the last time I watched it. I think I just tried to let that go, finally. It's all about what can we do to be better? And just use it as extra motivation."

Betts was a key part of UCLA earning a ticket back to this year's Final Four. She put up 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against Duke, setting a new UCLA career blocks record in the process. Shortly after the game, she was named the Regional's Most Outstanding Player. 

"I'm sweaty." 😂 Lauren Betts' teammates gave her a confetti bath after UCLA advanced to the Final Four 🎊 pic.twitter.com/wvznKJwwOL

— ESPN (@espn) March 29, 2026

Betts and the rest of the Bruins are certainly motivated, but on Sunday, their chances of even returning to the Final Four were not looking great. Duke had entered halftime with a 39-31 lead after making UCLA struggle on both sides of the court. The Bruins had only been down at halftime on one other occasion this season, which was in their loss to Texas in November. It's their lone loss of the season and the only defeat since getting blown out by UConn last year. UCLA has won 29 straight games since then.

The Bruins clawed their way back on Sunday after halftime. A 3-pointer by Gianna Kneepens helped give UCLA a 47-45 lead with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter. The crowd went wild, and the Bruins never looked back. 

FIGHT BACK 😤 📺: ABC#GoBruins | @giannakneepkens pic.twitter.com/UnYdzqdybM

— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 29, 2026

"Before Cori (Close) came in (at halftime), we were just -- we are able to call each other up and out and what we have to fix," senior forward Angela Dugalic said. "I think that's a great quality of our team. No one takes it personally. If I need Lauren to do something better, she is willing to take accountability and vice versa. That goes for everyone on the team. When Cori came in, she was just super steady. I think that gave us a sense of calm."

UCLA reaching the 2025 Final Four was a huge accomplishment for the team because just three years earlier, the Bruins did not even make the NCAA Tournament. The program won the AIAW National Championship in 1978, but has never won an NCAA Tournament.

Close has credited the power of culture in the locker room, which features one of the most veteran rosters in the country.

"Team culture is not just this nebulous thing or phrases on the wall," she said. "It's a group of people who are willing to be committed to the hard right behaviors over and over again. That's everybody from the staff, to the managers, to everybody in between. And most importantly, every single person in the program. I could not tell you how many times throughout the game we referred to our values. Who were are, what our identity was, what we had to get back to."

Next up, the Bruins have a Final Four date with either Texas or Michigan in Phoenix on Friday. If they win, it could set up a rematch with UConn. UCLA will be ready.